AREAC helping NYC Parks with Lake Water Quality Issues

In today's NY Times, reporter Lisa Foderaro explained the work NYC Parks is doing trying to restore the water quality of Meadow Lake in Crotona Park in Queens, NY. Dr. Branco and his students have been helping with that effort. This summer, we worked with the Natural Resources Group of NYC Parks to install thermistors and a water quality sondes. The goal is to identify the drivers of low oxygen conditions, known as hypoxia, that occasionally appear. To date, our results show that thermal stratification is infrequent because of the high wind exposure of this lake, which keeps it mixed. However, occasional and brief periods of low oxygen are associated with slight increases in salinity. near the bottom of the lake. Janel Chap, an MS student in AREAC is working on the data for her thesis.

The NY Times article also mentions the work that the Branco Lab has been doing in Prospect Park for the last few years. Prospect Park Lake's issues are driven by the phosphate-rich drinking water that serves as the lakes inflow. The water quality in Prospect Park Lake will not improve significantly until the phosphorus input has been reduced or eliminated. Dr. Branco is trying to help the Prospect Park Alliance identify a solution to this problem. For now, Christine Halloran, another MS student, will be monitoring for cyanobacteria blooms and trying to identify the factors that trigger them.

Fish Rescue in Prospect Park Lake

AREAC to the rescue! Paul Forlano, Brett Branco and Rob Dickie joined the staff of the Prospect Park Alliance and some volunteers last Wednesday to rescue fish from behind a temporary dam in Prospect Park Lake. Some major shoreline construction will be going on at the lake as the outflow drain is rebuilt and the shoreline is reconfigured.

The AREAC crew arrived with their 50 foot seine net and some waders. The mud was thick and deep and the going was tough. At one point, Rob began a slow descent into the muck and had to be rescued. After a couple of passes, with the seine net, everyone pitched in with hand nets to scoop the fish hiding in the shelter of the dam.

While we were there, hundreds of small sunfish were captured along with a catfish and a large mouth bass. Paul spotted an American eel slithering in the mud, but it made an escape. The Alliance and the volunteers continued on after our departure and we're still waiting to find out what the final fish tally was. Next week, a much larger section of the lake will be dammed and drained and we will pitch in to rescue more fish, turtles and whatever else we find.